1. Emotions, Stress, and Health
Myers’ EXPLORING PSYCHOLOGY (5th Ed)
Chapter 11
Emotions, Stress, and Health

2. Emotion a response of the whole organism involves...
physiological arousal
expressive behaviors (Actions)
conscious experience

3. Theories of Emotion Appraisal Event Emotional response Physiological
activation
Expressive
behavior
Subjective
experience

4. Autonomic nervous system controls physiological arousal
Emotional Arousal
Autonomic nervous system controls
physiological arousal
Sympathetic
division (arousing)
Pupils dilate
Decreases
Perspires
Increases
Accelerates
Inhibits
Secrete stress
hormones
Parasympathetic
division (calming)
Pupils contract
Dries
Slows
Activates
secretion of
stress
EYES
SALIVATION
SKIN
RESPIRATION
HEART
DIGESTION
ADRENAL
GLANDS

5. Arousal and Performance
Performance peaks at lower levels of arousal for difficult tasks, and at higher levels for easy or well-learned tasks
Performance
level
Low
Arousal
High
Difficult tasks
Easy tasks

6. Lie Detectors Polygraph
measures several arousal responses that accompany emotion
perspiration
heart rate
blood pressure
breathing changes

7. Emotion- Lie Detectors
Control
question
Relevant
(a)
(b)
Respiration
Perspiration
Heart rate

8. Emotion- Lie Detectors
Percentage
Innocent
people
Guilty 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10
Judged innocent by polygraph
Judged guilty by polygraph
50 Innocents
50 Thieves
1/3 of innocent declared guilty
1/4 of guilty declared innocent (from Kleinmuntz & Szucko, 1984)

9. Lie Detection? In a group answer the following…
Is there a place for the use of polygraph devices?
Benefits? Drawbacks?
What might be a better option?
Choose one person to record brief notes for the group and one person to report a summary of the discussion

10. Expressing Emotion Gender and expressiveness Number of expressions
Men
Women
Sad Happy Scary
Film Type 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2
Number of
expressions

11. Expressing Emotion
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Smiles can show different emotions: a) Mask anger b) Overly polite c) Soften criticism d) Reluctant compliance

12. Expressing Emotion
Culturally universal expressions

13. Expressing Emotion
Activation of “sad face” muscles makes subject feel sadder (from Larsen, et al., 1992).

14. Spotting a fake/real smile…
/smiles/index.shtml

15. Experiencing Emotion Catharsis emotional release catharsis hypothesis
catharsis hypothesis: ”releasing” aggressive energy (through action or fantasy) relieves aggressive urges

16. Subjective Well-Being
Experiencing Emotion
Subjective Well-Being
self-perceived happiness or satisfaction with life
How happy are you? (handout)

17. Figure The changing materialism of entering college students Myers: Exploring Psychology, Seventh Edition Copyright © 2008 by Worth Publishers

18. Figure 11. 16 Does money buy happiness
Figure Does money buy happiness? Myers: Exploring Psychology, Seventh Edition Copyright © 2008 by Worth Publishers

19. Experiencing Emotion Values and life satisfaction Importance scores
Money
Love
Life satisfaction
0.6
0.4
0.2
0.0
-0.2
-0.4
Importance
scores

20. Experiencing Emotion Adaptation-Level Phenomenon Relative Deprivation
tendency to form judgments relative to a “neutral” level
volume of sound
level of income
defined by our prior experience
Relative Deprivation
perception that one is worse off relative to those with whom one compares oneself

21. Experiencing Emotion However, Happiness Seems Not Much
Researchers Have Found That
Happy People Tend to
Have high self-esteem
(in individualistic countries)
Be optimistic, outgoing, and agreeable
Have close friendships or a satisfying
marriage
Have work and leisure that engage
their skills
Have a meaningful religious faith
Sleep well and exercise
However, Happiness Seems Not Much
Related to Other Factors, Such as
Age
Gender (women are more often
depressed, but also more often joyful)
Education levels
Parenthood (having children or not)
Physical attractiveness

22. How do we find happiness?
The Path to Happiness (worksheet)
Improving mood and life satisfaction
Set goals with daily aims
Act happy
Exercise
Sleep
Nurture close relationships
Help those in need
Gratitude journal

23. What is Stress?
Stress
the process by which we perceive and respond to certain events, called stressors
The rate of wear & tear on the body

24. What is Stress? Appraisal Response Stressful event (tough math test)
Threat
(“Yikes! This is
beyond me!”)
Challenge
(“I’ve got to apply
all I know”)
Panic, freeze up
Aroused, focused
Appraisal
Response

25. What is Stress? General Adaptation Syndrome
resistance
Phase 1
Alarm
reaction
(mobilize
resources)
Phase 2
Resistance
(cope with
stressor)
Phase 3
Exhaustion
(reserves
depleted)
The body’s resistance to stress can last
only so long before exhaustion sets in
Stressor
occurs
General Adaptation Syndrome
Selye’s concept of the body’s adaptive response to stress in three stages

26. What is Stress? Coronary Heart Disease
leading cause of death in the U.S.

27. Stress & Coronary Heart Disease
Hopelessness
scores
3.5 3
2.5 2
1.5 1
0.5
Heart attack
Death
Low risk
Moderate risk
High risk
Men who feel extreme hopelessness
are at greater risk for heart attacks
and early death

28. Stress & Coronary Heart Disease
Type A
competitive, hard-driving, impatient, verbally aggressive, and anger-prone people
Type B
easygoing, relaxed people
Criticism
serious limitations of original study
overly simplistic
some feel it is obsolete

29. Life-style modification patients
Promoting Health
Modifying Type A life-style can reduce recurrence of heart attacks
Percentage
of patients
with recurrent
heart attacks
(cumulative
average) 6 5 4 3 2 1
Year
Life-style modification patients
Control patients
Modifying life-style
reduced recurrent

30. Stress and Disease Psychosomatic Illness “mind-body” illness
any stress-related physical illness
distinct from hypochondriasis

31. Promoting Health Aerobic Exercise
Depression
score 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3
Before treatment
evaluation
After treatment
No-treatment
group
Aerobic
exercise
Relaxation
treatment
Aerobic Exercise
sustained exercise that increases heart and lung fitness
may also alleviate depression and anxiety

32. Level of social support
Life events
Tendency toward
Health
Illness
Personal appraisal
Challenge
Threat
Personality type
Easygoing
Nondepressed
Optimistic
Hostile
Depressed
Pessimistic
Personality habits
Nonsmoking
Regular exercise
Good nutrition
Smoking
Sedentary
Poor nutrition
Level of social support
Close, enduring
Lacking

33. Promoting Health The religion factor is mulitidimensional Religious
involvement
Healthy
behaviors
(less smoking,
drinking)
Social support
(faith
communities,
marriage)
Positive
emotions
(less stress,
anxiety)
Better health
(less immune system
suppression, stress
hormones, and suicide)